I've been tagged .............

by the lovely Marlou so I guess I'd better answer them ............ ok here goes!!

4 places I have worked: Electrical and mechanical engineers, aircraft manufacturers, linen manufacturer and demonstrating decorative paint effects.
4 places I have lived: hmmmm well haven't lived outside of NI soooo Newtownabbey, Carryduff, Ballyclare!
4 places I have visited: Paris, NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco.
4 favourite foods: roast lamb dinner, soya bean yogurt and mint salad, proper baked cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, chicken caesar salad.
4 places I would rather be: with E., in Las Vegas, on a quiet beach in the Maldives, or California!

Nothing too earth shattering there then!

Nothing too much

from me tonight. Feeling very tired and have a hectic few weeks ahead so guess I'd better get myself to bed.

Thought I'd share a layout I did a while back. Was really happy with it, not because it's all that artistic /creative in terms of the layout itself, but because I made the papers myself. So if you know anyone who would like to start a new line/business tell them to give me a holler!!!

Oh the the pic? Well let's just say the vino tinto had been flowing and I was messing around with my collection of hats. This one has been filtered to within an inch of it's life lol.

Hope your week is going swimmingly chaps.

Acrylic is in .....

Well in the scrapping world it is, so I decided to have a go. It was a lot of fun and definitely want to have another go at this too.

This one was done for a ForgetMeNot class in October. A bit of Basic Grey, some paint, stamps, rub ons and a lot of fun.

I've been a bad girl ................

and went and bought myself a new toy! Yes after a couple of years of debating, I decided I'd upgrade, particularly as I'm doing the photography course.

Ok so I haven't had time to read through the manual yet but still went out and had a play this evening. Here are the results. This my neighbour's cat Sebastian - isn't he a handsome fellow! He thinks that I'm his part-time mummy and with those beautiful eyes he is hard to resist.


Next up is Jess. I met Jess in the local park with her owner. He had found her abandoned in the very same park almost one year ago, skinny and flea ridden. She is a real sweetie and he asked me to take her pic, so how could I refuse.

Ok so next stop was off to the shore just before it got too dark to do anything more - well at least more than me or my new toy was capable of! I managed to take this picture which I'm quite pleased with, it almost makes Belfast city lights look quite glizty.

and just to finish off, another picture of the lovely Sebastian who was the most patient model - probably more to do with the ever hopeful notion that I might give in and get him some more cat biscuits!


Well that was tonights offering. Depending on what the weather is doing I might have a wee trip out again tomorrow to try something else.

Day One

said in a thick geordie accent a la Big Brother.

Well I am a work in progress, no doubt about it but our tutor told us to go forth and take pictures! I felt a bit of a plonker with my tripod and all but I guess I'd better get used to it if I'm to get better. I did try some manual changes to ISO settings and apeture etc. but also tried hard not to fall in to the rapid fire trap (so only took maybe 15 or 20). Out of those there are only two that I think are so so.

Here is Carrickfergus by night! Was very disappointed to learn that they only light the Castle up for special occasions - flippin heck Carrickfergus Borough Council - not too many places have a wonderfully preserved historic castle in their town - light the darn think up folks!!!!

Then I took a wee dander along the harbour and this is what I came up with. I quite like the fact that the people walking are blurred.

Well I'm hoping that through this blog I can keep track of my development and see how I get along. No doubt there will be more later this week. Our first challenge is to produce two panels of six pictures on a given theme (these are set), particularly difficult for me (as I don't normally picture people) is the fact they must have people in them ..... so the castle wouldn't make it and the harbour would - well if it was a decent pic it would!

I got me a

Fearless Heart!!

and isn't it just fantastically luscious!! It is a one of a kind, lampword pendant by the fabulous Kim Miles. I've been admiring her work for an age but could never manage to get the timings right and missed out on buying them from her website. However a few weeks back Kim opened her shop on Etsy and this was the first bead she put up there. It is indeed called Fearless Heart, and if you look carefully at the gap in the red you'll see some fine handtwisted silver barbed wire and some floating CZ's. Kim said it made her think of the Leonard Cohen song where he talks about the breaks in your heart being where the light gets in - I just loved that sentiment plus one of my favourite songs is Fearless Heart by Steve Earle. I think it very much sums me up, not soooo much the falling in love a lot .......... and for those of you who think I'm irrepressible I can honestly say I've only truely been in love three times. Anything else was just lust!!! and on that note my lovelies I'm off to La Boudoir!

Fearless Heart(Steve Earle)

Don't you worry bout what you've been told cause honey I ain't even close to cold

It's kinda soon to fall in love again but sometimes the best that you can do is just jump back in

I got me a fearless heart strong enough to get you through the scary part

It's been broken many times before a fearless heart just comes back for more

Folks'll tell you that I'm just no good but I wouldn't hurt you honey if I could

I can't promise this'll work out right but it would kill me darlin' if we didn't even try

I admit I fall in love a lot I nearly always give it my best shot

I know you must think I'm the reckless kind but I want a lady with a fearless heart just like mine

Back to School

Well I've just start a C&G Photography course, sooooo I guess there should be lots more to look at on here over the coming months.

A bit daunting to say the least, especially having seen some of the fabulous work that the previous class had done, but exciting too and it looks like my free time will be quickly filled by all thing photographic. Seems like a great bunch of people too soooo interesting times ahead. Maybe a shift in career - I wish!!

But I can, can't I!??

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" George Bernard Shaw

Mixed fortunes

that's how the last few days have been. E. was over last weekend and of course, as always, that was lovely. We went to the Prom's in the Park at Carrickfergus, was a nice night but too many people for the space they had allocated. The castle did look very pretty and I definitely want to head their again some quiet and still evening to take a few photos. We had a very chilled and loved up weekend - just what was needed for both of us I think. Ohhh and E. approved very much of La Boudoir, and yes, it lived up to it's romantic looks lol! Next project is the bathroom.

Early last week was pretty uneventful, but Wednesday my Freelander got sick and died, turned out to be the fuel pump and so was housebound for a couple of days and shed some serious £££££ yesterday. Anyway such is life at least it didn't happen on some remote road when the rain was chucking it down etc. and the lads at the garage are very reasonable when it comes to labour costs etc. Just hoping that I get a free run now for at least a year!

Right off to measure the bathroom for tiles. Hope that your weekend is a happy and blessed one.

Hindsight

is of course as always, a wonderful thing.

I watched Walk the Line tonight, I bought the DVD ages ago but only just got around to viewing it. I bought it because it had strong connections for me with my Dad. He adored the Man in Black and in my younger day I wasn't quite sure why. I suspect that it had something to do with the fact that he thumbed his nose at the "establishment" though of course it's too late now to ask him. But I have to say in watching it, I loved every minute of the music, I knew the words line for line and it was a mixed bag of pain and pleasure.

Soooo off to Amazon to buy Live at St Quentin, and an apology to my Dad - I was young, I was blinkered, I didn't appreciate his talent - I do now Dad - thanks for introducing me to John R Cash!!

Stroke it, touch it, love it ................

that made ya sit up lol! Yep, my Boudoir project is all about sumptious textures and rich colours!! I got up early this morning and finished off the sewing and then started putting it all together. It's not finished as I have to repaint (same colour more or less just freshen it up) and my new furniture arrives in a week or so then I'll post a piccie of the finished room, but in the meantime here's what I've been working on .................

I had thought about changing this to read "Enter at your Peril" but didn't want to be too boastful lol!

Some of my sewing projects!

Soft sheepskin for the tootsies .............. and finally some decadent beaded tassles - nooo not for me silly ............ for the curtains!

So that's it so far. I'm liking it a lot - most definitely a Bad Girl Boudoir!!!!!